Once again. Congratulations Sean. I couldn't be happier for you, you know, being around as long as I have, I love seeing the journey of everybody and with assistant coaches, it's not linear, but for you it has been here with the Bears, different positions, but a great ninth year to start a career that started with humble beginnings and now an NFL defensive coordinator. As it's set in, how does it feel and you feel you reach one of your milestones? Uh? Yeah, you know, it's it's very humbling.
I'm obviously very gracious for the opportunity that U coach Matt and Ryan and mister McCaskey and missing McCaskey and Ted Phillips had given me. Like you said, it started humble beginnings, and I hope to continue it that way too, you know. So it's it's exciting. The first week was over the moon and lots of things going on and a little bit stressful, but it all comes with the job and it's settled down and it's just been great. What's the very first thing you did when man Maggie
told you you were the Bears defense apport? Oh? Man, I was so I took the call. I was at home, you know, we were off. I took the call, went upstairs because my kids are running around all over the place and loud, so it went upstairs to getting a quiet room, and uh, I think I just took a deep breath, you know, kind of a big sigh of relief, a deep breath and just want to savor that moment. And then right after that, obviously went down and told
my wife. She was excited obviously and emotional, and it was an emotional time, which was great, you know, told my kids, you know, and then then get the parents and the family involved, and obviously it called Vic early. Vic was one of my first calls as well, just because of the impact that he's at on me. You know, let's talk about that, because from his perspective, I mean,
he's we know Vic. I mean he's a very pragmatic guy, not throwing his big sways of exuberant emotion, but in a sense one of his guys has now worked his way up the ladder. Did you get that feel from him? And then as a defense importantator, Now, how do you pay it for horse? Yeah? Right, Uh, well, that that's
two important things there. The first part is you never know, like you said, with Vic and where his emotion level is and everything, but it was very important for me to let him know where where my emotional level was. That was very important for me. He deserves it from my perspective, to know that he had a big impact on me and to know that that he had mentored me and supported me, and he's kind of seen me grow even in this profession through ups and downs. Like
you said, it's been a linear path. But you don't always get promoted when you think you should get promoted, or have opportunities when you think you should have opportunities. But he's been a staple there for me and helping me grow. Uh. And and even when when you think you should get a job somewhere else or somewhere you know, he's always helped and he's always been in my corner. So I think it was very important for him to
know that. A lot of where I'm at now obviously from a football intellect standpoint, but even in my career, UH is a credit to him. And and there's other guys that I gave that call to as well, but in the NFL, for sure, UH, it's a credit to him. And the second part of that question, I'm sorry, Jeff, was the paid forward section. The part of that question, well, that that is very important to me. Uh. It's a
huge responsiblity when I don't take lightly. Uh not just to pay it forward to coach, to Vic, but to Matt, to everybody that's helped me, and then really to to another generation of people I've My wife always says this that you can never climb on your own. You need people to help you. Uh. And and for sure, given my own background, I needed a lot more people probably
helped me. Not having played. You know, there's a lot of knots that can be associated with me, But a lot of people have helped me and have supported me and given me the hand and give me an encouragement. So that's that's a core belief of mine and I'm gonna need to be able to do that with others. And the thing about the knots though, and I've been asking this about you already multiple times, you know, why
is he ready? He's never called plays before? And I try to explain to people that if there are coaches who have big dreams, and not every coach wants to be a coordinator or a head coach. They are totally fine being a position coach. They are constantly thinking the game. You're calling plays in your mind, you're strategizing, and I bet you're going back thinking about what you learned from
Mel and him. Are met Mel and Vic and Chuck and going through h this is maybe what I would have done, or this is a different wrinkle to the plan, am I right? Yeah? I think I've always, like I said, in all the roles I've been and obviously in the NFL, with Mel, Vic and Shuck as my coordinators, Al Gold and Frank Spaziani. You know, Doug Martin was my offensive coordinator at Boston College, and I've coordinate and I call it plays on special teams everywhere I've been in college.
But all those people have had a huge impact in terms of that and have given me the opportunity to learn and grow that way. And I've always tried to take that big picture. I've tried to not live in my bucket, so to speak. And now that doesn't mean you don't master your bucket. You know, I've taken a lot of great pride in doing that and trying to be the greatest at whatever chasking job that I've been doing and been given, but that also doesn't mean I
can't grow on my own time. And I think that's the thing that I've tried to take, that perspective of any chance and opportunity to get to grow. You got to try to use that for good, bad, or in different You know, I've I've learned things I shouldn't do because I've seen some mistakes from other people, but I think are mistakes and or that they've told me are mistakes.
And I've learned things I should do, and I've seen that from other people doing it, and so try to be very observational, try to be very reflective, and I'm going to continue to try and do that and learn from people around me here. You know, I think we've supported ourselves here with some great staff members that I will rely on and they know that. You know that I'm gonna rely on on certain things, and there's certain
things that I'm sure they'll rely on me for. I think that's how you build winning staffs, and that translates into winning organizations and winning players and winning teams. And in the locker room, you know, obviously because you've been there and a lot of these guys know you. I think it's a term of respect in including endearment when they call you doc. Given your educational background, you are doc.
But you know, players well forever just want to be told, Okay, tell me where I need to be, tell me why put me in a position to succeed. It sounds cliche, but really when you boil it all down to the basics, isn't that what we're talking about here? And they come to you already with a lot of those questions. So do you feel you'll be able to command that rule despite not having all those knats? Yeah? You know what, Uh, that's a good question. That's a question I faced really
all my career. You know, Uh, will you be able to command the room? Will you be able to do this? And I think I've proven that time and again in all the different roles I've been in, whether it's been a special teams coordinator or running back coach and outside linebacker coach, a quality control safeties coach, that the commanding of the room and the respect comes from trust. Right, it comes from me earning that with the players. And
how do they do that? Well, in my experience, they do it through knowledge, uh, and and all those things that you can provide them in terms of the whys and the house and and and for them to see their fit and their vision clearly and how they can succeed within the defense. Uh and and I hope I've done that, and I think I have done that at a pretty good level. And I think I think that will help me in this new role in my football
fantasy world. You know, I believe the team should reflect in some way it's city they play in, and in this case that's a charter franchise of National Football. Ferocious defense is historic here you alluded to a your zoom call and media members this week, some of the pieces to the puzzle in terms of your idelic player and their mindset, their mental toughness, the physical toughness, get upon some key points that you will look these guys in the eye and say this is the kind of bear
I want. Yes, well, you know, like you said, we alluded to someone. But it's going to be guys that play with passion, guys that are relentless, guys that are tough, guys that have a burning desire to be excellent at
their craft. And it's going to be a day to day mindset and I think I think those things are transferable, are learnable, and are relatable, you know, and I think those are things that everybody can hang their hat on, and those are things that everybody's probably gotta look in the mirror at and see if that's what they want to do. And I know we got a lot of players on this defense that want to do that. You know.
We want guys that are smart, guys that play fast, and then part of it is going to be my ability as a play caller to put them in rolls and teach them ways to play fast. And I think that that's a benefit that I've learned through a lot of mentors I've had, and I think I've been able to do that. And we want guys to have fun, you know. I think, like I said on that other Zoom call, it's going to be things that are pelpable that everybody in the world can feel, whether it's through
a screen or where you're alive. And you can tell when guys are having fun, and you can tell when guys are physical, you can tell when guys are relentless, and those things I want everybody to feel, and I want people watching tape of this defense to feel for as long as I can remember, players are telling me pressure breaks pipes. You watch the Super Bowl, say what you take away in the Super Bowl? It was the relentless pressure, the lightless pressure that probably started even before kickoff.
Do you think you can align a defense in that kind of way? But because when they pop on the tape, when they're were viewing you three games back, getting ready for their next corner, it's this Bears defense will boy, because it starts then doesn't it? Mentally? That's exactly right, That's exactly right. That stuff that's palpable in my opinion, just like you said, that's almost a non negotiable. And
people feel it. You know, you felt it when I was coaching high school ball, and you felt it in college, and you feel it in the NFL that I want people to take a deep breath when they watch the Bears defense and say, Okay, now we're in for something here. The scheme may not be good, some things may not be good on every play, but the one thing we can hang out hand on is that these guys are gonna come to play and they're gonna come with energy.
They're gonna come with some physicalness and some toughness, and then when we match the scheme and the buying from these players to perform and execute at a high level, and I think the sky's the limit for the fire guys. I also like what you had to say, and your belief is, you know, this is, as you put it, a tune up because you got great players, not good players, great players at every level and that's important from the jump.
But keying in on those and maybe creating other roles for players that also become touch points for leadership and direction. Isn't that what we're talking about here. Because you put all the grapes in the same bucket, move them around a little bit, you have different piece of different kind of lines, so to speak. That's right, that's right, and I think you hit on the head. You know, we do have great players. And to me and our players will notice, the didn't string good and great as a choice.
It's a daily choice on how you want to present yourself and how you want to be and I think our players embrace that choice every day. And we're going to challenge our guys to be great every day and that means through the meetings, through the walkthroughs, through the practice, and that greatness is going to reflect on game day with all those traits that we talked about. Uh, the least of my worries, you know, to address your question
is the talent of our guys, because they are talented. Uh, and then we're gonna keep building that talent up and keep refining it and then uh, keep giving them the tools they need to succeed so their talents can shine the way they want them to shine. And that quite honestly, he's gonna match with the way we wanted it to shine as organizations, as defense in this position, Now, how would you assume your your characterization will be as a coach?
Will you be fiery? Will you be you? Will you be the guy we see on zoom the very thought provoking, congenial personality. What do you think? Yeah, Uh, well you have to be determined. No, well, I think I think you're going to see a mashup of it all. You know. Uh. Obviously I'm a thoughtful uh individual, and I pride myself an education that in our players. I've seen it. There's been instance is a firiness for me where where I think that's appropriate and those guys want to feel it,
and they're going to feel it from me. They're gonna get the energy. Uh, They're going to be challenged, you know, mentally and physically. And I think they're going to see that that we're going to have certain standards and demands
that they're going to live up to. And it's going to be the product because of living up to those standards and demands which have Obviously you're going to be set with the twenty twenty one defense in mind, but as you know, there's a certain level of standard of play expected by Chicago Bears defense since the inception of this franchise, and and uh, we're we're willing and able to accept that standard and surpass it. And I think
that's going to be important. Like you said, every every team sometimes has to take on the culture of its city. And and we're not going to shy away from the toughness and the grit that this city's built on and this this franchise has been built on. Uh. And and there's there's a little bit of extra pressure on defense, but that that's that's why we want to do it, all right, Sean, congratulations, go get him. Thank you, Jeff, I appreciate you.